Glycon
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Glycon, also spelled Glykon ( Glýkōn, : Glýkōnos), was an ancient snake god. He had a large and influential cult within the Roman Empire in the 2nd century, with contemporary satirist Lucian providing the primary literary reference to the deity. Lucian claimed Glycon was created in the mid-2nd century by the Greek prophet Alexander of Abonoteichos. Lucian was ill-disposed toward the cult, calling Alexander a false prophet, accusing the whole enterprise of being a hoax, and claiming that Glycon himself was a hand puppet.
Key facts
- Deity.type
- Roman
- Deity.name
- Glycon
- Deity.image
- Glycon (51644816839).jpg
- Deity.caption
- Late 2nd-century statue of Glycon. (National History and Archeology Museum, Constanţa, Romania)
- Deity.cult_center
- Abonoteichos
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Glycon (51644816839).jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Glycon
- native label
- Γλύκων
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Macedonian cultural roots
- Early years
- Spread and influence
- Modern times
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
Glycon, also spelled Glykon ( Glýkōn, : Glýkōnos), was an ancient snake god. He had a large and influential cult within the Roman Empire in the 2nd century, with contemporary satirist Lucian providing the primary literary reference to the deity. Lucian claimed Glycon was created in the mid-2nd century by the Greek prophet Alexander of Abonoteichos. Lucian was ill-disposed toward the cult, calling Alexander a false prophet, accusing the whole enterprise of being a hoax, and claiming that Glycon himself was a hand puppet.
==Macedonian cultural roots== The cult possibly originated in Macedonia, where similar snake cults had existed for centuries. The Macedonians believed snakes had magical powers relating to fertility and had a rich mythology on this subject, for example the story of Olympias's impregnation by Zeus disguised as a serpent.